Bad Things Happen…..5 November 2009

In a perfect world all would be sweetness and light, but our world can be ugly, unkind and dark.  As I’ve been remembering some of the things that have happened over the years, so far I’ve avoided the dark moments.  But bad things happen to all of us at some time or another and it often doesn’t appear to our fault.  How we deal with these times can sometimes be revealing and isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?

For fifteen years I worked as a Head of Department for the same company.  I enjoyed working there, the people and the whole atmosphere.  I thought of it as “my” company and I’m sure some of you have felt the same way over the years.  Then the company brought in a new Group Quality Manager and made him my immediate superior, but forgot to tell me.  I had always been responsible to the Managing Director so I had made sure everything was satisfactory.  The new man tried to change things and I resisted.  After a year I was informed of his position over me and thereafter made every effort to put right the awkwardness between us.  It was to no avail.  He made my working life very difficult, putting obstacles in the way we normally operated and trying to make changes without any consultation.  A year later I had had enough and when the chance came to take over a small business in my trade I left, even though the management entreated me to stay.  That took me 100 miles away.

The next four years were hard work, but I built the business up and attained a very nice standard of living.  I had a big house with the second floor converted to a granny flat, a nice big car, and money enough for little luxuries.  Then the company who supplied about 90% of my work decided not to use subcontractors any more.  My efforts to find work to replace that loss were unsuccessful and I was forced to close the business.  Imagine, I had to make myself redundant!

Those were dark times indeed.  The car had to go in favour of an old Mini, the house went up for sale and I moved back to Rugby.  I took the first reasonable job I could get to cover my needs.

I was not a true Christian at that time.  I knew about God, had read some of the Bible and tried to live a decent life.  But I had not asked Jesus into my life and, frankly, had no wish to get involved with the church or religion in any way.

In hindsight I have to admit that somehow things slotted into place and I came through that time almost unscathed.  However, I also have to admit that little of what happened was down to me or under my control.  Someone else must have had control over the situation as it developed and took care of me in the meantime.

If only I’d taken more notice earlier of God’s promptings maybe I would have dealt with things better than I did, and not waited so long to give myself to Jesus.